Two generations and as much as two millennia removed from their sources, the artworks in “Metamorphosis” are paper-pulp castings of plaster replicas of sculptures from ancient Greece and Rome. Previously the property of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the nearly 70 plaster pieces now belong to George Mason University. Jennifer Lillis and Christopher Kardambikis, who made the molded-paper versions on display at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, both teach there.

An installation view of “Metamorphosis,” paper-pulp castings created by Jennifer Lillis and Christopher Kardambikis, at the Writer’s Center. (Greg Staley)

What if the ancient Greeks and Romans actually had terrible taste?

The castings are not perfect copies of the copies, let alone of the originals. The artists embrace the lost fidelity by incorporating discarded prints from the university’s printmaking studio. Bright colors and geometric designs from the rejects survive in the paper casts, calling attention to the material’s recycling. Here are such venerable relics as frieze-blocks from the Parthenon, reproduced in blotchy, pulpy pink. The original statues are ageless and unyielding, but these incarnations are contemporary and impermanent. The contrast is as piquant as it is playful.

Jennifer Lillis and Christopher Kardambikis: Metamorphosis Through Aug. 27 at the Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda. writer.org. 301-654-8664.